NFL: Elliott suspension back on after injunction denied

NEW YORK - The off-on saga of Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension took another twist on Thursday after a New York appeals court denied the Dallas Cowboys running back's latest request for an injunction.

The ruling by the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals means Elliott will begin serving his suspension this weekend, ruling him out of Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Elliott has been embroiled in a legal saga with the NFL after being issued a six-game suspension following a 13-month investigation into a domestic violence allegation in 2016.

Although Elliott faced no criminal charges from the case, the NFL probe found him to have been in breach of the league's personal conduct policy.

Elliott has bitterly contested the ban and had until Thursday successfully fought to delay the activation of the suspension, playing in all eight of the Cowboys' regular season games in 2017.

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Elliott shines on the field despite threat of suspension

It was just another 100-yard game for Ezekiel Elliott who ran like a carefree Dallas Cowboys rusher on Sunday and not the polarising player who is facing potential suspension from the NFL.

Elliott suited up for the Cowboys' season-opening 19-3 win over the New York Giants after a court injunction froze a six-game ban from the NFL for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

The second-year player rushed for 104 yards on 24 carries and was a dominant force throughout the night against the Giants.

Elliott was banned by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last month after a 13-month investigation into allegations of assaulting his former girlfriend.

"It just feels good to be out here with these boys," Elliott told reporters after the contest.

"It’s definitely been a tough last 14 months.

"Your name is getting dragged through the mud. Being associated with (the accusations), that’s tough."

Elliott, who also made five catches for 36 yards against the Giants, has maintained his innocence and was neither arrested nor charged over the allegations.

The NFL Players Association filed a restraining order seeking to block any suspension for Elliott, and a Texas judge ruled the player didn't receive a fair hearing during his appeal against the ban.

"I’m relieved that I’ll finally get a fair trial and a chance to prove my innocence,” said Elliott, who won the NFL's rushing crown as rookie in 2016.

"I’m glad I’m able to be with these guys for as long as it’s permitted, and not having to miss time and be away from them."

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty / Ian Ransom)

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Cowboys control Giants in 19-3 win

Ezekiel Elliott made his presence felt, but the Dallas Cowboys' defense made a greater impact as it shut down the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday night.

The Cowboys limited the Giants to 233 total yards, paving the way for Dallas' 19-3 victory on Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.

Elliott, playing after an injunction filed against the NFL allowed him to start the season despite a six-game suspension, rushed for 104 yards on 24 carries.

The Cowboys didn't score in the second half until 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter. Dan Bailey booted his fourth field goal, from 36 yards, for the game's final points.

The lack of second-half offense didn't matter after Dallas controlled the first half on the way to a 16-0 halftime lead.

The Giants opened the second half with a 68-yard drive that more than doubled their total yards to that point. New York reached the Dallas 4-yard line before Charles Tapper sacked Eli Manning for a 9-yard loss, causing the Giants to settle for Aldrick Rosas' 25-yard field goal.

That ended up being New York's most successful drive of the game.

Anthony Brown intercepted a Manning pass at the Cowboys 48-yard line midway through the fourth quarter to set up Dallas' final scoring drive.

Jason Witten had a productive first half as the Cowboys tight end became the team's career receiving yards leader and scored Dallas' first touchdown of the season.

Quarterback Dak Prescott tossed to Witten for an 11-yard gain in the second quarter that brought Witten's career total to 11,890 receiving yards, passing Michael Irvin's previous team record of 11,888.

Witten then capped a touchdown drive late in the first half. Prescott hit the tight end on a slant pass for a 12-yard score that put Dallas ahead 13-0 with 1:41 left in the second quarter.

Witten finished the first half with six receptions for 49 yards, and he ended the game with seven catches for 59 yards.

The Dallas defense dominated the first half, holding New York to 50 yards of total offense and just two first downs.

Without Odell Beckham Jr., who sustained a left ankle injury in the preseason and missed the Sunday game, Manning passed for 33 yards in the first half.

Dallas forced one final three-and-out before the break that allowed the Cowboys' offense to move in for Bailey's third field goal, this one from 42 yards. Bailey also made kicks from 21 and 48 yards in the half.

Prescott completed 24 of 39 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Manning was 29 of 38 for 220 yards and one interception.

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Cowboys owner Jones speaks to Elliott over off-field behavior

LOS ANGELES -- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday he has spoken to Ezekiel Elliott following a slew of negative headlines relating to the star running back.

Elliott, who is facing possible sanctions from the NFL regarding a domestic violence case, was embroiled in further controversy at the weekend after being linked to a bar altercation that left a bouncer with a broken nose.

The 21-year-old was not arrested in the latest incident on Sunday and was not named in a police report.

However several US media outlets citing witnesses have said Elliott was involved in the bar fight.

   
Jones told ESPN on Tuesday he had spoken to Elliott but declined to get into specific details of their conversation.

However he described the running back as a "rock star" struggling to adjust to the celebrity which accompanied his stellar rookie year last season.

"As you well know, because of his style and personality, it's like a rock star wherever he goes in terms of attention," Jones said.

"Anybody that's experienced that knows that takes getting used to. You have to learn many aspects of that. Certainly, Zeke is evolving and being subject to needing to learn how to deal with the media and social media the way it is today."

Several other Cowboys players have ran into disciplinary issues during the off-season. Jones appealed to players to consider the effect on the team of individual indiscretions.

"I think the biggest message is not one that has to be stated, and that is your actions impact an entire team, it impacts an entire fan base," Jones said.

"There's a lot of responsibility there. Then I think to the team it's a reminder of the interest that's in your actions and your behavior, and it's not dissimilar from the message that you have when you sit down with a child and a young person when you're talking about how they represent everybody.

"The message is really pretty simple, and it's one that you would naturally see: Try to think about your activities when you're involved in them."

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Rookie Cowboys duo have 'America's Team' riding high

The Dallas Cowboys have taken the NFL by storm this season thanks to better-than-expected performances from two rookies who have quickly become the faces of 'America's Team' and given a jolt to sagging TV ratings.

Quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott have been a welcome revelation for a franchise that won three Super Bowl titles during a dominant stretch in the 1990s but have only made the playoffs five times in the last 16 seasons.

The pair have also helped bring some relief to the NFL, which has been in the unusual position of suffering a 14 percent drop in television ratings across all games this season.

The dynamic Dallas duo have led the Cowboys (8-1) to first place with an eight-game win streak, the latest coming in Sunday's thriller against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers that was the highest-rated NFL telecast of the 2016 campaign.

Prescott, a fourth-round pick whose incredible start has many experts believing long-time Cowboys' starter Tony Romo has lost his role, has not let the pressure of the toughest job in American sports faze him one bit.

"He's evolving and actually performing at a level that is very inordinate, eight wins is inordinate for our team," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said of Prescott's poise following Sunday's come-from-behind win in a hostile Pittsburgh environment.

As for Elliott, the Cowboys' fourth overall draft pick was expected to immediately productive given his talent and the team's dominant offensive line but few thought he would be unstoppable.

"I expected it out of myself. I'm a guy with high expectations," said Elliott. "I was put in a perfect situation. I'm surrounded with a lot of great players, and they make me better."

Elliott scored two of his three touchdowns in the final two minutes of Sunday's 35-30 win, the latest standout performance in a season in which he leads the NFL in rushing and has made a strong case for Most Valuable Player honors.

The performances of Prescott and Elliott already have fans of the Cowboys - who earlier this year topped Forbes' list of the world's most valuable sports teams - thinking about the glory days of the 1990s.

While anything can happen over the final seven games of the regular season and in the unpredictable playoffs, the current edition of the Cowboys appears to be the best since the franchise won its last Super Bowl in 1996.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; editing by Ken Ferris)

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